Madeline Whittier
Madeline "Maddy" Furukawa Whittier is the protagonist of ''Everything, Everything''. '' Madeline has lived her entire life with an incredibly rare disease known as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) which makes her virtually allergic to everything. Due to her unfortunate circumstance, Madeline has been confined to the walls of her decontaminated Los Angeles home for seventeen of the eighteen years of her life.' ' Biography Early life As a baby, Madeline often grew ill. Madeline's father and brother died in a car crash when she was a few months old, after which Madeline was diagnosed with SCID by her mother, a doctor. Due to her disease, Madeline became confined to the white walls of her room in her Los Angeles home and was assigned a nurse, Carla, to take care of her while her mother was at work. When Madeline was young, a family moved into the house across the street. Despite being unable to play or talk to them, Madeline formed a verry strong attraction to the young boy in the family and was distraught when they moved away. Bright family's arrival When the Bright family moves into the house across the street, Madeline grows enamored with the family's teenage son, Olly. After Olly writes his e-mail on his window, Madeline begins speaking with him over IM. Despite knowing that nothing can come of their relationship, Madeline falls for Olly. During the conversations, Madeline gains the nickname "Maddy" and learns of Olly's abusive father, and informs Olly that she is sick. Maddy begs Carla to allow Olly to come over, despite this being forbidden by her mother. After much persuasion, Carla allows Olly to visit for short periods of time, although Madeline is forbidden from touching Olly. Maddy begins meeting Olly in the faux greenhouse room on occasion. Although contact between the two is forbidden, the rule is impended upon when Olly touches Maddy's ankle when attempting to teach her parkour and when he subsequently holds her hand. After receiving no signs of illness from the secret physical contact, Maddy begins fantasizing about kissing Olly, which eventually occurs. Maddy's mother grows suspicious of Maddy as she continues to spend less time around her (unbeknownst to her, in favour of IMing with Olly) and begins to make several clothing purchases online. One day, Maddy witnesses a physical altercation between Olly and his father from her home and, for the first time ever, leaves the house to ensure Olly's safety. Maddy is implored to return inside by Olly and is subsequently lambasted by Pauline. Maddy is no longer allowed to communicate with Olly, as Pauline realizes how much of an effect he is having on her. Additionally, Maddy's beloved nurse is fired in favour of a more Draconian one. Maddy longs for a life beyond that of which she has become accustomed and decides she will will go to Hawaii, inspired by a photograph of she, her mother, her father, and her brother in Hawaii, with Olly. Early one morning, Maddy awakens Olly and tells him of her plan; in order to persuade Olly to go with her on the reckless rendezvous, Maddy lies that she got experimental medication from Canada. Before going to airport, Maddy stops at Carla's house and tells her of her plan; while Carla appears happy, Maddy knows she has caught her bluff about the medication, but is left wondering why Carla doesn't stop her. Maddy goes to the airport with Olly and travels to Hawaii, with the plane tickets she purchased online with her credit card. Maddy has a fun time with Olly in Hawaii, although punctuated with alarmed messages from her mother which materialize on Olly's phone. It is during this trip that Maddy tells Olly she loves him and he, her. During the trip, Maddy also makes love to Olly. Though, after a few days on the trip, Maddy wakes up violently ill, nearly paralyzed, and inhumanly warm. Her heart even stops. Maddy is admitted to the hospital and taken back home to Los Angeles. After getting better, Maddy is forced to cut all communication with Olly, despite his pleas of love for her, and is confined to her solitary life once more. Eventually, Olly, his mother, and his sister move away, with the father moving away some time later. The truth about SCID One day, Maddy receives an e-mail from a doctor claiming he believes Maddy never truly had SCID, an idea which is supported by Carla who claims she had suspected this. After scouring her mother's office and uncharacteristically finding nothing of her alleged illness, Maddy confronts her mother. Pauline assures Maddy that she is ill and that the files are somewhere in her office, during which Maddy finally realizes that her mother has been lying to her for her entire life. A doctor assures Maddy that her mother's diagnosis might have been a result of the unchecked trauma she experienced upon the death of her husband and son and assures Maddy that the reason she got so sick in Hawaii was actually because of her compromised immune system, which is a result of her confinement. Maddy's relationship with her mother tapers as Maddy comes to realize how her entire world has been a lie. Fueled with a new perception of this world, Maddy flies to New York City and reconnects with Olly. Description Personality Maddy is quite knowledgeable despite her confinement, an intelligence which stems from her avid reading and her challenging online classes. Despite this, Maddy, naturally, can be quite naive when it comes to social life. For instance, Maddy has to search up how to kiss and even draws lengthy diagrams in an attempt to understand the process. This naivety can cause Maddy to be reckless, which is exemplified throughout the novel. Maddy is a caring person, shown by her initial relationship with her mother and her subconscious impulse to ensure Olly's safety when she sees him in trouble. She is quite sentimental, as she regularly dwells upon occurrences that many would discard and is still moved to tears by ''The Little Prince, despite having read it multiple times. Appearance Maddy has brown eyes and a light brown complexion, due to her partial African-American heritage. Maddy's hair is dark, very curly, and long enough that Olly jokes about being able to climb it up to her room. Maddy also has freckles. Trivia * To preoccupy her time in her solitude, Maddy became an avid reader. To aid her loneliness, she'd often write notes in her book about going on adventures with the person who would find the book if it were to go missing. * Maddy writes short, online book reviews. * Maddy loves architecture. * Maddy's favourite book is The Little Prince. Category:A to Z Category:Characters